It is time for Zurich Beer Tour's Top 3 beers of the month, #December edition. Simona decided to feature a barrel aged stout from Sweden. Sandro's choice is again a very hoppy beer, but this time it is even a Triple #IPA. This staff pick is another barrel aged stout, but this time coming from Switzerland. Let's do this!
Simona's pick: Zymologic (SWE) - B.A. Etrof Vanilla Stout
The Beer:
This pitch black #Stout from #Sweden is a perfect example for the style. Etrof was aged in #bourbon barrels and vanilla was added. Those processes added the perfect aromas, #vanilla, oak and smokey whiskey, to the base beer which has massive notes of dark chocolate, coffee and #roasted malts. With it's 15% ABV it is perfect for those #cold days. This is the 3rd version of this beer, which has been continuously refined.
The Brewery:
Many people have never heard of "Zymologic" and that is for a reason. #Zymologic is actually a project by our friends O/O Brewing from Gothenburg, Sweden. They brew experimental small batch beers under that name. O/O was founded by Olle Andersson and Olof Andersson in 2013.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Salted caramel #brownie
Sandros's pick: Atelier der Braukünste (DE) - TEST TRACE ISOLATE TIPA
The Beer:
This is the first time we are featuring a #TripleIPA here, just the perfect beer to end this year which was, let's say not always easy. Compared to a #DoubleIPA, a Triple IPA uses more of every beer ingredient. But most importantly, more grain which results in more alcohol (9.6%) and more #hops - a lot more hops - to balance out the elevated sweetness and add tons of aroma. The hops used in this beer were Simcoe, Simcoe Cryo, #Citra and Talus aka HBC 692. All this resulted in a beer which is really complex. Finally, it was fermented with three different #yeast strains, which adds even more complexity.
The Brewery:
The guys from ADB develop their recipes in the Vogelsberg region in the German federal state of Hesse. Their beers are then brewed in the Brauhaus Binkert brewery, using mostly organic and local ingredients. The brewers are also the artists who create the design of their cans, so what they say is: "We create #masterpieces, in and on the bottle".
Our food pairing recommendation:
A spicy indian curry, e.g. #Vindaloo
Zurich Beer Tour's pick: WhiteFrontier (CH) - Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout
The Beer:
Most of the beers we had from WhiteFrontier this year were actually hop forward beers, and in the last couple of months they presented some very nice kettle sours. But as it got colder WF came out with a series of bourbon barrel aged beers. A #BarleyWine, a #WeeHeavy and this masterpiece of an #ImperialStout. Clocked in at 13% ABV this beer hits you with a fantastic nose of dark chocolate, cocoa and coffee. The palate is slightly sweet which goes perfectly in this heavy brew. A top quality beer.
The Brewery:
The motto of this brewery from #Martigny, Valais in Switzerland is "Onto your next #adventure". And they are truly adventurous when it comes to beer. Their beer portfolio contains almost every style you could imagine. They are one of the most successful Swiss breweries and have #collaborated with some of the big names of international craft brewing: Stigbergets (SWE), Uiltje (NL) and Collective Arts (CAN) to mention just some of them. Also they have one of the coolest tap rooms in Switzerland, check it out if you have the chance.
Our food pairing recommendation:
Ox cheeks braised in stout with #risotto Milanese
These are our three beers for December. Which ones were your favorite brews this month? Tell us in the comments!
Stay tuned for our January recommendations!
Cheers,
Your Zurich Beer Tour Guides
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